So who's running a Comp XE268?!

The carb will be OK. Not my preferred deal, it will work with some tuning after you get it on the engine.

Converters are the SINGLE most important piece of the puzzle in an automatic car. With converters, you want as much flash as you can stand and still have it tight when cruising. It's not hard for a good converter shop to build something like that. It will cost more than the shelf stuff, but the slip at cruise will be much less. That equates to better fuel economy. A good one is a huge benefit all around.